Writer sues producer Taylor Sheridan in LA over ‘Yellowstone’ concept

LOS ANGELES (KESQ) - A TV writer is suing "Yellowstone" co-creator Taylor Sheridan and several companies in Los Angeles for allegedly lifting key elements from a series she developed and using them in the Kevin Costner-led neo-Western, according to court papers obtained today.

Lauren J. Salkin contends that her rejected 2016 pitch for a TV series titled "Sovereign Nation'' bore a number of similarities to Sheridan's hit drama, the copyright infringement complaint filed Friday in Los Angeles federal court states.

Paramount Global and NBCUniversal are among named defendants in the suit.   

Salkin, a Virginia-based journalist and screenwriter, claims she submitted "Sovereign Nation" to Sheridan's management company, Elevate Entertainment, in late 2016 and received a rejection in February 2017.   

Salkin's project is described in the complaint as a "dramatic television series centered on tribal governance, casino-driven economic power and a modern war over land and development."

Representatives for Paramount and NBCUniversal could not immediately be reached for comment.  

The lawsuit seeks a trial, an injunction against future copyright infringement and unspecified damages.

"Yellowstone'' ran for five seasons from 2018-2024 on the Paramount Network. The series -- which followed the Dutton family, owners of the largest cattle ranch in Montana -- has spawned prequels, sequels and spin-offs.